Fears of the Stone
by ag-sasami
Summary: Where do you go when the fear you are escaping is part of your soul? Shounen-Ai YY [ON PERMANENT HIATUS]
1. Crash

So I lied. I have here a new story beginning…_before_ I leave for vacation. This won't be a song-fic like _Twilight_, but I can't help but put music in it, so each chapter will be named after a song, and I'll have the lyrics up too. Can't help it. *^^ I love music too much. 

I do not own Yu-gi-oh. I do however own a copy of the manga and all the ideas contained in this story. o.O 

The song is _Crash_ from the "12 Stones" self-titled album. I do not own that either, the rights that is.

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Fears of the Stone 

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**Chapter One: _Crash_**

**_As I lie tossing in my bed/ Lost in my fears remembering what you said/ And I try to hide the truth within/ The mask of myself shows its face again/ Still I lie time and time again/ Will you deny me when we meet again?/ And I feel like I'm falling/ Farther every day/ But I know that you're there/ Watching over me/ And I feel like I'm drowning/ The waves crashing over me/ But I know that your love/ It will set me free/ _**

Yami's usually intimidating expression melted into a look of concern as he gazed at the peacefully sleeping man in his lap. 'Hikari…' Yami thought gently so as not to wake Yuugi as he slept. Though he could usually control which thoughts passed to Yuugi, Yami feared that in his current state of mind he would be incapable of masking them. 'My aibou…hn…' These trailing half-thoughts as they were left him slightly flustered. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through Yuugi's soft hair.

Yuugi's appearance was strikingly similar to his own: unusual and unruly black hair touched with a near red hue at the tips and blonde bangs that held their own despite one's best efforts. Yami was considerably taller and arguably better looking by his own standards though. Bronzed skin, a result of his Egyptian heritage, accentuated muscles, blonde streaks surging through the ebony of his hair, arrogance, and three years were things the eighteen-year-old Yuugi lacked. Regardless of this, Yami preferred the gentle violet eyes of his hikari's to his own crimson ones. They were large and inviting, and Yami was found it difficult not to be consumed by their soul exposing depth. 

It was not Yami's nature to be emotional, but as of late he made an exception for his hikari. In fact, it was rare that Yami showed emotion of any kind save anger or contempt. Never before had Yami felt it was his responsibility to protect someone, as a pharaoh only needed to concern himself with his own welfare. Herein lied a questioning of his nature. Yuugi. Obligation was an obvious source. There was really no choice as to whether or not Yami would protect Yuugi…they were connected after all. Oddly enough, the pharaoh _wanted_ to be obligated to the young man, and such willingness left him with the emotions he did not know how to cope with. Since the day he laid eyes on the beautiful youth, he knew Yuugi was the purpose he sought. Unfortunately, he had yet to discern what he was to be protecting him from. 

Even if he could not admit it openly, hell-he could barely admit it to himself, Yami loved Yuugi. Loved him to the point that the occurrences of the last few days threatened to break his heart…

Despite his current peaceful sleep in Yami's lap Yuugi had been troubled. For several weeks, he had been distant and excessively quiet. Whatever it was that caused him such distress, he had managed to hide it…even from Yami. It weighed heavily on Yami's mind that he could not protect him from this, that he could feel so much pain that he could not even reveal it to his other half. However, the situation reached a climax when it began to invade Yuugi's dreams

Several nights before, and every night since, Yami had awoken to Yuugi tossing and turning in his sleep. Amidst his garbled speech and moaning, he would cry out for Yami, but he never woke from the nightmare. Never remembered Yami holding him until he calmed. Never remembered the events of the night by morning. The fear, whatever it was, now plagued Yuugi's dreams more painfully than his waking hours. This evening's had been the worst yet.

Yuugi had drifted off to sleep early in the evening, his head resting on Yami's shoulder. Sometime later Yami realized he had fallen asleep as well, woken by Yuugi's all too familiar moaning. He pulled the sleeping teen into his lap in an attempt to calm the attack. However, the dreams did not stop with restless moaning like the rest had, and Yami found his hikari's cries becoming louder, more fervent, on the verge of hysterics. 

"Yami…Yami, no…no…hnnnn…NO! YAMI!!!" Yuugi's eyes flew open, filled with fear, causing tears to spill down his abnormally pale face. Yami became conscious of the haze that clouded the young man's eyes. He was still sleeping. "Yami…" Soon, the silent tears turned into cries of anguish, and as Yuugi held his trembling hands before his dream-filled eyes, he sobbed inconsolably.     

//Aibou! By Ra, wake up. Please.// Only after he was sure that his hikari could not hear him, regardless of how loud he screamed, did Yami wrap his arms around the hysterical young man. He feared that Yuugi, waking to find himself being yelled at _and_ restrained following a vivid nightmare, would be terrified. By this time, the howling for yami and shaking had become so intense, Yami wondered if his hikari might literally fall apart. It pained him to see Yuugi in such a state of panic, but the man had closed his mind, Yami assumed to keep the dreams a secret. As such, Yami settled on holding him close and whispering words of protection.

Slowly, the fit quieted, leaving the tear-stained hikari slumbering in the arms of his other. Even after he was sure the dreams had ceased, Yami did not release his hold on the teen. Foreboding lingered over the scene in a stifling aura, leaving Yami to curse his inability to protect his aibou from such intense trepidation. 'My aibou…hn…' These trailing half-thoughts as they were left him slightly flustered. He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through Yuugi's soft hair. Eventually, he too gave in to the influential voice of sleep, falling in dreamlessly as he held Yuugi protectively in his arms.

**_As I find truth where I found it times before/ As I search for your hope/ I'm finding so much more/ And I try to be more like you/ And I deny myself to prove my heart is true/ I hear your voice calling/ The time has come for me/ Inside this life I'm living/ There's nothing left for me/ My mind is slowly fading/ So far away from me/ Each time I start crawling/ You're there watching me…_**

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o.O There you have it. You won't get anymore until I'm home either. *^^ tee hee  Sorry, it would have been longer, but I would have felt bad if something serious happened and I wasn't around to update it for you all soon. 

Kudos to anyone who can figure out what my title means. Ganbatte! 

As usual, please R&R! I love getting reviews, good _or_ bad, as long as they aren't senseless flames. *^^


	2. Sink n' Swim

Aloha all! It's a new chapter again! Hooray! 

Oooh! I finally found my Yami too! *Felt badly because everyone else had one, and mine was still missing.* So anyway, her name is Nijuu-chan. She tells me it means part of two, or something to that effect. Tee hee…Sasami no Yami…sorry, I found that funny. *^^

**Nijuu:** It's really not that funny. o.O

**Sasami:** Fine. *pouts* I thought it was. You will have to forgive her, she's still angry that I took so long in letting her out. I found her in an old ring that was in my jewelry box. Not like Ryou's, an actual ring you wear on your finger…how was I supposed to know it was a Sennen item? I just hope that her personality gets better. *^^

**Nijuu:** *glare*

**Sasami:** Anyway, I'll get the story started now.

I do not own Yu-gi-oh. My Yami is currently trying to get the rights for me. I do own this story though.

This song is _Sink n' Swim_ from. The artist is Plumb, and it's from her second album Beautiful Lumps of Coal. *She looks like Ora from CLAMP's manga: Clover. If you have not read it…do. No joke, _just_ like her. * Again, this story is _not_ a song-fic, but I am putting music in all the chapters…I will try to make them fit with the story too.

**_Lyrics_**

//Yami to Yuugi//

/Yuugi to Yami/

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Fears of the Stone

**Chapter Two: _Sink n' Swim_**

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**_I lost it all                                                                                  _**

**_You got it back                                                                                                           _**

**_Believed in me                                                                 _**

**_When I gave up on myself again                                       _**

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**_A sudden rain_**

**_Revealed your face                           _**

**_I knew right then_**

**_No matter where I go I'd have_**

**_Your hand to hold_**

Intense sunlight filtered through the drapes waking a particularly irritable Yami from his sleep. He was tired, exhausted really, and he had a kink in his neck from sleeping with Yuugi in his arms all night. Not that having the man in his arms was a dreadful thing, but as far as doing so on a couch all night…that was a far different story. After the night terrors struck Yuugi so violently, Yami hadn't the energy to remove them to the bedroom; it had been far too arduous a situation, even for one not dreaming, and sleep had overcome the pharaoh. Shifting his hikari off his lap and into a more comfortable position, Yami rose to his sleeping feet, willing them to cooperate. Removing an extra blanket from the closet at the foot of the stairs, he covered Yuugi in an attempt to return the warmth he had stolen when he rose. Hopefully he would continue to sleep. 

Sugoroku had yet to return from his conference in America. Yami frowned, trying to remember if it was archeological or game shop related. He stopped; the type of conference was insignificant to him. What was significant though, was the lack of food in the house. He was no cook, neither was Yuugi for that matter, and both were quite disgusted with frozen food and take out. Yami sighed, settling on a plum sitting on the table. Some much needed shopping was in order once his hikari was up. Speaking of which...

"Yami?" the sleep-leaden voice off his hikari drifted in from the living room to where Yami was seated at the table. 

//In the kitchen hikari.// Yami sighed, hoping Yuugi would give him some answers this morning. It was a daily conversation lately. Yami: Is something troubling you hikari? Yuugi: No. I am _fine_, Yami. Such conversations were becoming tiresome to Yami; his hikari was lying to him and their arguments grew more heated daily. An exceedingly weary looking Yuugi plopping down beside him interrupted his thoughts. 

"No breakfast?" the younger man yawned. Fatigue plagued him by day due to the nightmares that haunted him by night. Last night's dream had come closer to the end, and he was drained. Each night it proceeded further, becoming progressively more graphic, terrifying, violent, everything Yuugi feared, but most of all, the dream was becoming deadly. Yuugi shuddered as a particularly disturbing image flashed through his mind; he did not know how much longer he would be capable of concealing it from Yami.

Ever vigilant Yami turned his attention to his hikari, catching both the physical and mental quake. Taking a breath and hoping for the best, he ignored the question of food and began, "Hikari? Does something trouble you?"

"No. Yami, I am_ fine_." Was what he said, but what he yearned to say was something entirely different. Yuugi wanted to tell Yami everything, about the dream, about the shadows. More importantly though, he wanted Yami to hold him, to tell him all was well. He scoffed at himself for even supposing Yami would care that much, as he suspected the pharaoh protected him only out of concern for his own life.

"You are lying to me." Yami held his breath. He had not meant to be quite so blunt, but his natural tendencies forced his hand, or in this case his tongue. It had been a mistake, putting Yuugi on the defensive and cementing his judgment of the dark spirit. 

"It is none of your concern!"  He nearly yelled, his voice full of disgust, incredulity, and something Yami took for disenchantment. Such harsh words from his hikari stung Yami and his pride. While his face did not betray the hurt, Yuugi felt his Yami's mind prick at the words he had spoken. "Yami. I-I-"

**_We will sink &_**

**_ We_ will swim**

**_Til' the ocean turns to sand_**

**_We will laugh_**

**_We will cry_**

**_Til' there's no more breath inside_**

**_'Cause we will sink_**

**_But we will swim_**

"No _aibou_, you are right. It is none of my concern." Yami turned coldly from Yuugi ascending the stairs, leaving a startled hikari at the table. Aibou…Yuugi should have been ecstatic. Yami had _never _called him that, and yet, the affectionate name had been jaded by the tone in which it was used. The coldness in Yami's voice hurt; it was supposed to and Yuugi grasped that, but somehow it made the situation countless times more painful. ****

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Yami was aware that what had just occurred was a mistake. He was quite oblivious to Yuugi's contempt for him, as he refused to pry into the man's mind, but he was, nonetheless, aware that he had caused another rift between them. It was horribly wrong. "Aibou" was something he had intended to call Yuugi, while he was awake, for a long time, but never like that. All he had managed to do was hurt his hikari. What was worse, the pain was intentional. Yuugi had no clue that Yami had already begun to call him aibou. It seemed as though he would never be capable of amending his previously warped nature. 

Yami cursed in Egyptian as he walked to the end of the hallway upstairs. They had been making progress! Sitting together last night on the couch, they managed to just talk. Talking civilly. Yuugi had lowered his defenses enough to fall asleep on Yami's shoulder. Now this! He cursed again as he flipped on the bathroom light. The young man knew nothing of how desperate Yami was to protect him, the terrors of night kept them from the peace both so eagerly desired.

Yami locked the door behind him, turning on the shower as he entered. [a/n: picture the light switch on the wall, and the shower right next to it instead of a sink…it's a bathtub/shower] His clothes were dropped unceremoniously on the floor as he climbed into the shower, flinching as the nearly intolerable heat of the water reached his skin. Gritting his teeth, he resolved to endure the water, irrationally hoping it would cleanse him of his spiteful nature.

Yuugi continued to sit in stunned silence at the kitchen table. 'So it's all true then. 'Jii-chan warned me of this. Why didn't I listen to him this time?' Sugoroku had warned his grandson of the power of the pharaoh imprisoned in the Sennen Puzzle, begged him not to complete the puzzle. It was for his own safety his grandfather had said. Yuugi regretted not heeding the warning he was given.

True, Yami had never used his magic against Yuugi, but even so, he was powerful in many ways. Yami was arrogant, selfish, vengeful, sarcastic, jaded, and dangerous. He was everything and nothing all at once. Nevertheless, Yuugi felt safe around him. It was not a feeling of security or trust, just safety. Yami would not let harm come to his hikari, but Yuugi put no faith in him. There was something terrifying in his crimson eyes, something unreadable, similar to staring into death itself.  It was the threat of something unknown in the mind of one so powerful that left him in doubt.   

He had a fleeting hope last night that perhaps he had been wrong in passing judgment upon his own darkness, but the events of this morning brought his scorn flooding back. He heard something in a language he found incomprehensible before the shower was turned on. Yami was angry as far as Yuugi could tell. It felt like the beginning of a day he would regret having woken up for, and he was not in the mood for another argument, which was bound to ensue. Having determined that he was disinterested in continuing the day, Yuugi lethargically made his way upstairs, where upon laying down, he fell back into the comforting arms of sleep. **__**

**_I was_**

**_A tender reed_**

**_Bent in the wind_**

**_And then the storm passed_**

**_And you helped me stand upright again_**

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**_So here we are _**

**_Nothing to lose_**

**_So take my hand_**

**_We'll jump right in_**

**_The water's warm_**

**_It's time to live_**

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It doesn't rain for nothing 

**_It will shine for you_**

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**Sasami:** Well that's that! Please review! Good, or bad if it's constructive. *^^

**Nijuu**: In other words, if you hated it, at least be nice about it. o.O

**Sasami**: *^^ Thank you, I think. I'm done now! *yawn* It is late. Fear not, I will try to update soon. If you have questions about anything…just post them in a review. I know I had a few about stories when I first started reading here. Oyasumi nasai!    *~.~…zzzzz…


	3. Pilgrim

Sasami: Well we've made it to chapter three!!!! I just realized that it's going to be a very long story if all goes as planned. I hope you will all keep reading though! [off topic] If you have not heard t.A.T.u.'s CD [_200km/hr in the wrong lane_] you _must_!! It is so unbelievably cool! They sing in Russian too. *sings along with CD* In case you haven't heard of them before, they are a Russian duo…it's techno music, sort of. 

**Nijuu:** They are popular here in America with guys because they are lesbians. o.O

**Sasami:** It's true…rather sad too, because they are so good! People only seem to know them as "those lesbian Russian girls." *^^ It should not be all about their sexuality. Anyway…moving on! Disclaimer if you would Yami-chan!

**Nijuu:** Yami-chan? o.O Neither Sasami or I own Yu-gi-oh. Something is severely wrong with this, and I intend to change it sometime soon. Sasami does own the story though, and all ideas contained herein. 

Sasami: Arigatou! Here we go then! This chapter's song is _Pilgrim_ from Enya's CD, A Day Without Rain. Again, it's not my song…though I am sorely tempted to use one of my own for a chapter…*^^ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Fears of the Stone 

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**Chapter Three: _Pilgrim_**

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**_Pilgrim, how you journey_**

**_on the road you chose_**

**_to find out where the winds die_**

**_and where the stories go._**

**_All days come from one day_**

**_that must you must know,_**

**_you cannot change what's over_**

**_but only where you go._**

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**_One way leads to diamonds,_**

**_one way leads to gold,_**

**_another leads you only_**

**_to everything you're told._**

**_In your heart you wonder_**

**_which of these is true; _**

**_the road that leads to nowhere,_**

**_the road that leads to you._**

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Yami stood under the flow of hot water, doing nothing for quite some time. He was angry, with himself for being unable to treat his hikari as he deserved, and with Yuugi for continuing to hide things from him. Everything was amiss; their relationship, the secrets, the pain, every situation they were thrown into. There should have been some sort of trust in their relationship, but they were lacking just that. Trust. Once Yami had enough of the unhindered flow of scalding water, he shut off the showerhead, allowing the scalding water to fill the bathtub, relishing the warmth, the steam clearing his troubled mind.

The two had been together for nearly three years now. Yami had come to share the life of the younger man when Yuugi had completed the Sennen Puzzle. However, it was just recently that Yami had stopped sharing Yuugi's body. This physical change had strained their relationship, as before the event, Yami had only been a presence in the other's mind. Yuugi occasionally granted Yami possession of his body, but the majority of the time he was only a very real voice in the head of his lighter self.

Yami suspected that his hikari now considered him a threat, as he often did anyone new. Though his friendly persona appeared trusting and naïve, Yami had felt the distrust and fear the younger man felt towards people. He hid it well. Being considerably smaller than most, Yuugi often found himself on the receiving end of mental and physical abuse from his peers, the result being his cynicism towards others. Only in the presence of Sugoroku, Ryou, Jou, and, surprisingly enough, Kaiba did Yuugi feel entirely at ease. It occurred to Yami that being a physical presence in Yuugi's life rather than just part of his mind, caused a fear of him, or more accurately, a fear of the betrayal he was bound to represent. How could he possibly convince Yuugi otherwise?

There was to be no imminent betrayal. Certainly there would not be future betrayal either. Yami wanted more than anything to protect his hikari from pain such as that. He wanted to have a relationship with him that was not plagued so by distrust and fear and everything else theirs was filled with. Perhaps it was too much to hope for. No matter what he said, it was not going to make Yuugi any less suspicious of him; everyone was capable of lying. It did not help that Yami was lacking in social skills. It had been many millennia since he was among people and manners failed him. Combined with his former status of pharaoh, and the ability to treat others with any amount of respect and tact flew right out the window. He was quick to respond with sarcasm and extreme brusqueness, both of which upset his hikari all the more.  

There had to be hope for them. He had _not_ spent the last three millennia with his soul trapped in a puzzle to miss the purpose he sought. Yami chuckled with discontent at the irony of his situation. 'Even the tomb raider has found happiness.' The immortal fool had managed to find contentment, or something of the like, in his hikari Ryou. Somehow, the pharaoh assumed that Bakura obtained much more than an emotion from the boy though. Having had more than enough of his own miserable thoughts and hot water, Yami climbed from the tub with his casual grace and wrapped a towel loosely around his slender waist. Yami unstopped the tub so it could drain as he left the bathroom, clothes still on the floor. 

As he entered the bedroom across the hall, he found Yuugi asleep once more looking miserable even in his sleep. Unable to endure the pained expression of his hikari, knowing he was the cause of it, Yami hurriedly pulled on his trademark leather and exited the room. //Forgive me hikari.// Hoping that even through sleep Yuugi could hear him, Yami conveyed his parting thought. 

As Sugoroku was not home to drive, Yami was forced to walk to the store for food. His stomach argued painfully with the wait, but he had, regrettably, no other option. Thankfully, it was a short trip and the weather was pleasant. Taking a cart upon arrival, Yami sauntered lazily down the nearest aisle. His lack of sleep in combination with the irritation he felt with his current situation put the man's mind into autopilot as he randomly grabbed food off the shelves. A familiar voice pulled him out of the daze.

"Plan on eating that baking powder yourself Yami?" the pharaoh whipped around to see Jou and an equally amused looking Kaiba at the opposite end of the aisle. [a/n: *^^ Gomen ne! I couldn't possibly have written the accent for Jou, and I don't really want to…*cringes at thoughts of dubbed Jounouchi* o.O]  Shifting his attention to the box in his hand, Yami placed it gingerly back on the shelf feeling quite ridiculous.

"Ohayou Jou. Kaiba. What brings you here so early in the morning?" Yami attempted to stifled a yawn.

"Yami, you do realize that it's 10:30 in the morning, and you are at a grocery store?" Kaiba asked the drowsy pharaoh incredulously. The yawn caught in Yami's throat. He felt more than slightly absurd at this point.

"Long night?" Jou asked with a hint of concern. It seemed that both his best friend and his yami had been having long nights lately, and neither were looking any better for the wear.

"You could say that." Yami sighed, leaning on his cart, his stomach growling loudly in protest. "Forgive my rudeness, but I really must finish shopping as my stomach is a bit impatient." He was too tired and hungry to preserve his dignity in such a situation, and he imagined that the two that stood before him would give up quickly if he threw them off. Mercifully, he had been correct.

"Yami, where's Yuugi at this morning?" Jou called after him. 

"Still asleep. Ja na." Yami waved over his shoulder without turning around. He thanked Ra that they had refrained from questioning him further. The man quickly finished his shopping and began the walk home, munching on some pocky to appease his infuriated stomach.

"Seto. Those two are in trouble aren't they." Jou asked of his lover, grasping the other's hand tightly in his own. Seto recognized the apprehension in Jou's voice, and squeezed his hand back comfortingly.

"So it would seem." 

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**_Will you find the answer_**

**_in all you say and do?_**

**_Will you find the answer_**

**_In you?_**

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**_Each heart is a pilgrim,_**

**_each one wants to know _**

**_the reason why the winds die_**

**_and where the stories go._**

**_Pilgrim, in your journey_**

**_you may travel far,  _**

**_for pilgrim it's a long way_**

**_to find out who you are._**

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**_Pilgrim, it's a long way_**

**_to find out who you are…_**

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**_Pilgrim, it's a long way_**

**_to find out who you are…_**

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**Sasami: **I'm sorry that chapter was so short. *^^ It was such a pain trying to write a transition chapter. The next one will hopefully be a little longer, and more interesting too.

**Nijuu:** We all hope…o.O

**Sasami:** You're so mean! It's hard! I know how the story will end, and what I want to happen in the middle somewhere, but I wrote myself into a corner with the second chapter. *cries* It's not my fault I get good ideas at work and don't have a way to fit them together. *sobs inconsolably*

**Nijuu:** I know…gomen. That's all for now. I ask that you please read and review as my hikari can't right now. She took off the anonymous review block too. Sorry about that. Mata ne.


	4. Fear

**Sasami:** I finally figured out how to finish off this chapter! I wanted to post it yesterday, but I wasn't sure how to finish it off. But, I did it! hahahaha *^^

**Nijuu:** Forgive my manic hikari. o.O

**Sasami: **Hey! *^^ Anyhoo…let's get this story going. Yami-chan, disclaimer please!

**Nijuu:** Neither of us own Yu-gi-oh…I want it…I will get it…Sorry, lost myself for a minute. o.O

**Sasami:** Looks like I'm rubbing off on you. tee hee 

The song is _Fear_ from Sarah McLachlan's CD Mirrorball. I don't own it. I would like to own a song as pretty as this, but I don't unfortunately. My songs aren't quite this talented…*^^

**Nijuu:** They aren't that bad…Don't be so hard on yourself. o.O

**Sasami: **Thank you. *hugs yami*  Now! On with the story!!!

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Fears of the Stone 

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**Chapter Four: _Fear_**

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morning smiles like the face of a newborn child, innocent, unknowing. winter's end, promises of a long lost friend. speaks to me of comfort. but i fear i have nothing to give. i have so much to lose here in this lonely place. tangled up in your embrace there's nothing i'd like better than to fall. but i fear i have nothing to give.

Yuugi was dreaming, though of what he could not recall, when Yami's face flashed through the images behind his closed eyes. It felt like part of the dream, but the words that accompanied Yami's face were too real. //Forgive me hikari.// Had he heard correctly? Maybe he was still dreaming. Down stairs, he heard the front door of the game shop close and lock.

'I wonder where he went.' Yuugi could have asked. Inside his mind, no, in his soul, he could feel their connection. All he had to do was reach out for his Yami's own. Yet, he withheld his thoughts; something within would not allow him to link. Pain. Fear. Disappointment. The story of Yuugi's life. His entire life he had sought solace among people whom he thought could be trusted, but each relationship left him broken further than before. Even among his true friends, he found grief. Jealousy. Loneliness. Heartbreak.

Jou, his best friend in the world, had a new reason for his life. No longer did he need to protect Yuugi, as Yami was there. Besides, Jou had Kaiba now, and apparently, Jou preferred to be the one protected. Even Jii-chan offered little comfort anymore. The man was often away on business, whether it was game shop or archaeology related, leaving Yuugi at home with his Yami more often than not. He chided himself for blaming his family and friends. Business trips and love were things they could not control. 

Love was uncontrollable, as Yuugi knew from experience. Shortly after Yami had become part of his existence, Yuugi had fallen for Anzu. Things were going favorably at the beginning, but everyone, Yami especially, saw that the relationship was doomed the minute Anzu laid eyes on Mai. Less than happily, Yuugi accepted his defeat and continued with life, offering forgiveness as always. Now, three years later, it was happening again. There was only one person in the universe Yuugi wanted to spend his every moment with, but it seemed his dark spirit shared no such sentiment. He simply could not lay his heart on the line only to have it broken again. He felt wretched in every possible way.

Still, hope held a place in his heart. Ryou and Bakura seemed happy. Granted, Bakura was a violent maniac at times, but he loved Ryou unconditionally, and the younger boy felt likewise. Yami on the other hand, showed no violence towards his hikari, and yet Yuugi could not find the courage to set aside his past. He rolled over in bed, feeling worse than when he woke before. Thankfully, he had not dreamed that particular dream during his short sleep.

That dream was a different matter entirely. It was so close to the end, Yuugi felt it. What lay at the end he could not be sure, but he was ambivalent about reaching it. Curiosity drove him towards it while fear held him back. Terrifying recollection of a cold stone corridor flew through his mind, lit torches upon the walls casting an eerie glow about the scene. Yuugi shook his head violently against the images he knew came next.

'Maybe I should at least tell him about the shadows.' The shadows had begun speaking to Yuugi, whispering words of discontentment. They wanted Yami back. He was theirs, and Yuugi had no right to take him away. Their murmurs alarmed Yuugi, and he contemplated revealing the truth to Yami. However, the possibility of exposing the nightmare stopped him. He needed to clear his head, knowing that sleep was futile at this point.

Yuugi trudged downstairs to the living room, for the second time that morning, to turn on the stereo. The cool voices of two women filled the room as Yuugi cranked up the volume in an attempt to drown out his own thoughts. Flipping through the songs, he found that it was impossible to ignore the emotions that pounded through his body.

…I long for you to hold me like your boyfriend does, and though my dream is slowly fading I long to be the object of your passion, but it's hopeless…You shut your mouth! How dare you say I go about things the wrong way! I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does…How did we ever get this far? You touch my hand and start the car, and for the first time in my life, I'm crying…Mother. Looking at me, tell me what do you see? Yes, I've lost my mind. Daddy. Looking at me, will I ever be free? Have I crossed a line?

Every song that resonated from the speakers betrayed his thoughts, until he shut off the CD in anger. There had to be a CD he owned that would not drive him to dwell on emotions best left buried.

…'Cause even if I am half way 'round the world, that won't stop me from loving you. Half way 'round the world, I'll still be feeling the way I do. And now, I want to hold you baby, 'cause I'm gonna miss you like crazy. Even if I'm half way 'round the world…Next…Am I your one and only desire? Am I the reason you breathe or am I the reason you cry?  Always, always, always, always, always, always, I just can't live without you. I love you. I hate you. I can't live without you…Damn. 

Yuugi suddenly found it difficult not to cry and scream out of sheer frustration. Violently shutting off the stereo, he stalked off to the kitchen to find something to appease his stomach and sidetrack his brain. Much to his disappointment, he found that the cupboards and refrigerator were nearly empty. He put some bread in the toaster and removed what was left of the butter from the fridge, hoping that Yami had gone to the store.

He munched thoughtfully at the toast, glancing at the clock that read 10:30 a.m. on the wall above the table. '10:30 already? I should get dressed.' Yuugi felt uncomfortable in the silence of the house, and decided to risk his sanity by turning on the stereo once more, leaving his toast unfinished on the countertop. His collection of music from America was broad, as was his understanding of the language, so picked the one CD he believed to be free of heart wrenching lyrics. 

Yuugi climbed the stairs and began flipping through his closet. He pulled on a close-fitting pair of deep blue jeans, as always, and continued rummaging for a shirt. Just as he selected a loose, button-down, white shirt, the music downstairs caught his attention.

…Something has been taken from deep inside of me, a secret I've kept locked away no one can ever see. Wounds so deep they never show, they never go away. Like moving pictures in my head, for years and years they've played…

The volume of the music and the overwhelming emotions that it caused left Yuugi unaware of his yami's presence in the house. Even such angry music contained the words to make Yuugi's head spin and his heartbreak. Still holding onto the shirt he had yet to don, the young man sank to the floor, allowing the emotion that had been threatening to overtake him for weeks do just that. Tears streamed down his face, tears of frustration, anger, and fear. All of the rejection he had felt and was afraid of from his yami surged through him.

'Why do you do this to me Yami?' he screamed within himself. Before he sensed the presence of his other, two strong arms had wrapped the trembling man in an embrace…

wind in time rapes the flower trembling on the vine and nothing yields to shelter from above. they say temptation will destroy our love. the never-ending hunger. but i fear i have nothing to give. i have so much to lose here in this lonely place. tangled up in our embrace there's nothing i'd like better than to fall. but i fear i have nothing to give. i have so much to lose. i have nothing to give. we have so much to lose…

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Sasami: Better? I know it's not much longer, but I promise that it's the last of boring chapters. I felt that I had to clear up some emotional confusion between the two of them, and each having their own chapter seemed appropriate. *sigh* Now I can get to the important stuff…namely fluff. *^^

Nijuu: Fluff, hn?  No lemons? o.O

Sasami: I'm thinking about it…geez. I write fluff not lemons, but we'll see. What do you all think? Should I have a Y/Y lemon??? Okay. R&R! Let me know!

Nijuu: Tell them about the music hikari. 

Sasami: Oh yea! The songs Yuugi was listening too are…actually, does anyone know what they were??? Scroll down if you want to know…I promise that you don't have to make a wish or anything. *^^

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The first section is t.A.T.u.. Malchik Gay, How Soon is Now?, Stars, and All the Things She Said. The second section is: A*Teens, Halfway Around the World, and Saliva, Always. The last song was Linkin Park, Easier to Run.

Ja ne minna san!


	5. Everything

Sasami: Aloha all! I finally finished this chapter. *^^ I swear, I've worked on it for three days now, and I haven't been able to write it to my satisfaction until now. But hey! It's longer than any of the rest, and more interesting I hope. 

**Nijuu:** It took you long enough, it had better be good. o.O

**Sasami: **Geez! I know! I know! Anyhoo…I figured out how to finish the chapter while watching YGO reruns this afternoon…tee hee *^^ Even with editing and dubbing, you can see all the fluff. Okay, no more talking. On with the chappie!

**Nijuu:** We don't own Yu-gi-oh, and chances are you don't either.

**Sasami:** Thankies! I _do_ own the story though.

The song for this chapter is _Everything _from **Lifehouse**'s first CD No Name Face. 

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**Chapter Five: _Everything_**

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**_Find me here_**

**_Speak to me _**

**_I want to feel you_**

**_I need to hear you_**

**_You are the light_**

**_That is leading me_**

**_To the place where _**

**_I find peace again_**

**_You are the strength_**

**_That keeps me walking_**

**_You are the hope_**

**_That keeps me trusting_**

**_You are the life to my soul_**

**_You are my purpose_**

**_You are everything_**

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Yami had returned from the store, after the shortest hour he had experienced since his release from the puzzle, to a house full of his hikari's particularly intense foreign music. While walking home, Yami had felt unease and fear and pain through their connection, and anxious for Yuugi's safety, hastened home. Yuugi's breakfast was unfinished on the counter and there was no sign of the man downstairs, and again out of concern for his other, Yami abandoned the groceries on the floor of the kitchen. A scream echoed through his mind as he raced up the stairs to their bedroom.

/Why do you do this to me Yami?/ It was clear that Yuugi had forgotten to guard his thoughts. Still unaware of his yami's presence, Yuugi remained on his knees on the floor of his bedroom, sobbing incoherently into the shirt he held. Emotions that ought not to be within him escaped  in a fury of tears and howls. He feared his fondness for Yami, but he feared even more rejection from him. There would be nothing left for him if he could not even be accepted by his own darkness.

The bedroom door was open, and Yami was met with a sight more painful than he had expected to find. Yuugi was half dressed and crying on the bedroom floor. Nothing could have prepared Yami for the impact he felt when waves of fear and uncertainty flooded their link. It did not take much effort to realize he alone was the cause of his hikari's pain, though he was still unconsciously refused to see why. Without stopping to consider the consequences of his actions, Yami knelt down behind Yuugi and wrapped his arms around the younger man's trembling form. 

//What is it I have done hikari?// Yami buried his face in Yuugi's hair, breathing in the subtle scent of lavender and eucalyptus, choosing his usual, less startling form of communication with the man. Nonetheless, Yuugi jerked at the sudden invasion of his mind and Yami's warmth against his bare skin.

"Yami!" Yuugi choked on his tear soaked voice. He did _not_ want Yami to see him reduced to such a state. It was weak. Even if his yami was not fanatical about strength like Ryou's, Yuugi supposed that a pharaoh had no tolerance for fragility. Still, his tears would not stop and defeat was settling upon him. 

//Hikari. What have I done to cause you such pain?// The emotions that flowed unchecked through their link answered his silent plea. Yami did not want to see it, did not want to know that his selfish desires were being fulfilled with such sorrow. It pained him to know that his hikari did indeed fear rejection from him. The fact that he had done nothing to change that view hurt even more.

"Please Yami. Let me go." Yuugi was certain that Yami could feel everything he felt, and their close proximity only enhanced it. His frenzied emotions kept him from guarding his mind properly, and Yami's embrace put a stop to it altogether. Too much was on the line in that moment, and Yuugi was unwilling to lose it all. Most of all, he was unwilling to having his affection returned out of pity. In such a state as he was in, if Yami were to acknowledge his feelings, the young man feared it would be out of pity for him, not out of a true emotional return. 

//Aibou…// Yami hoped that attempting to employ such a name on his hikari would serve as an apology for its earlier use and reveal a favorable reception of the man's feelings. It was a risk. The pharaoh was concerned that Yuugi would view anything more straightforward as an invasion of his mind, as he had not directly stated how he felt.

"Do not call me that! It is more than I can take to hear you call me something you cannot possibly mean." When Yami called him "aibou" this time around, Yuugi had noted the change in his voice. It lacked the cruel tone of that morning, and it was changed from his words until that point. There was something uncertain in his voice, strong and commanding yet unsure. Yuugi could feel his resolve failing him. It was taking everything within him to not confess his feelings to the man who tried so hard to comfort him. 

//What makes you so certain that I do not mean it?// Words Yami had not intended flowed down their link to his lighter half, settling themselves comfortably in the front of the hikari's mind. He had sent them quite by accident, betraying himself to the damaged soul before him. Yuugi's tears had ceased to flow so freely, and stopped entirely at the words he heard. 

**_And how can I _**

Stand here with you 

**_And not be moved by you_**

**_Would you tell me_**

**_How could it be_**

**_Any better than this_**

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/Let me go Yami./ Yuugi pleaded less forcefully, evading the question with an  uncharacteristic use of his mind to speak to the man who held him. It was everything he wanted to be in those arms, but he needed to look into Yami's eyes. Needed to see the truth behind the words spoken within their minds. He had composed himself enough to ensure that his thoughts were at least partially guarded. Yuugi had not realized that he blocked Yami from feeling his need for him to see the truth in his eyes as he had felt everything else. Yami granted his request, settling back on his heels as he remained on the ground. 

"Damn it Yuugi. Just trust me! Do you honestly think I would hurt you? I _need _you." Yami spoke aloud the harshly toned words, his voice barely above a whisper. He had done the same earlier that morning, as always, keeping his anger clear of Yuugi's mind. The pharaoh felt that something was inherently wrong with passing such raw and inhospitable emotion directly to his hikari's vulnerable mind. Besides, it would only cause more of the very pain Yami wanted to stop. 

The words caused his hikari pain anyway. Yuugi stood up and turned to face his yami who now looked up at him, crimson eyes filled with worry and the other unreadable emotion. Disappointment and anger darkened Yuugi's normally bright amethyst eyes. 

Abrasive words were not what Yuugi had expected from the dark spirit, and they sent him back on the defensive, his voice rising with every word he spoke. "Of course you do. If I get hurt, so do you, right? Ra, Yami! I'm not stupid or blind. You couldn't care less about me; it's only your own life you worry about." Tears began to fall again. Every time he started to trust the words of the pharaoh, he ended up hurt. 

Instead of fighting the defeat he had been resisting for months, he surrendered to it, allowing all of the hurt, betrayal, and rejection he had been feeling to rise up within him. Even guarded, his mind could not contain the turmoil, spilling forth in a torrent of tears and flooding his yami's mind through their mental link. Yuugi turned from himself, away from the darkness he craved.

The older man rose to sit on the edge of the bed. Bowing his head into his hands and running his slender fingers through his tri colored hair, the pharaoh sat in silent contemplation on how to respond to his disconsolate hikari. Blunt truth seemed the only answer. //That is no longer true hikari. When we shared a body, yes, I did protect you partially out of concern for myself. Only partially mind you, but things are different now.// 

"What do you mean?" Forgetting his bitterness temporarily, Yuugi spun to face Yami with a look of complete bewilderment. Though Yami had seated himself facing away from Yuugi, he felt the confusion filtering through the tumult of sorrow, anger, and fear in his mind. Perhaps an explanation was the key to setting them straight.

//When I was still a part of your mind, your body, we would both be hurt if the other was.// Yami paused to arrange his thoughts. //But now…now that I have a body of my own, our connection has changed.// He rose with the intent of exiting the room, of leaving Yuugi to his thoughts. Yami wished Yuugi to come to his own conclusions about their relationship now that he knew the truth. Walking to the door the quieted voice of his hikari stopped him.

"Then…" Yuugi trailed off his words knowing that Yami would understand his question. Hearing the pharaoh say that he was not forced to protect Yuugi any longer sent a tremor through the man's body. It was suddenly feasible that his yami was protecting him for something other than himself, but he had to be certain.    

//If you were to die I could, in theory, continue to live. Do you understand now?// Yami replied silently, resting his hand gently against the doorframe as if to leave. However, he remained in the room, giving his hikari another chance to clarify the situation.

"Only in theory?" he whispered. Convinced as he was, Yuugi wanted, needed desperately to hear the words from his yami he knew would follow. All of the strength he had been building within himself for the past three years had failed; he that perhaps standing on his own two feet was not worth the pain it caused. All he wanted to feel was safety. All he needed was for Yami to accept him. In that moment, he threw all independence and confidence to the wind, wanting only the companionship and approval of his yami.

Yami looked over his shoulder at the remarkable man with the tear soaked eyes, casting him a final look of concern, arrogance, sorrow, tenderness, and desperation all held together in one stare. Yuugi could felt his doubt melting under Yami's heated crimson gaze. //I cannot live without you.//  

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**_You calm the storms_**

**_You give me rest_**

**_You hold me in your hands_**

**_You won't let me fall_**

**_You still my heart_**

**_And you take my breath away_**

**_Would you take me in_**

**_Would you take me deeper now_**

**_'cause you're all I want_**

**_You are all I need_**

**_You are everything_**

**_Everything_**

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**Sasami:** How was it?! R&R please! That chapter took a lot of work, so I really want honest opinions. I revoke my previous request as well…**Feel free to flame if that is how you choose to review stories. **

**Nijuu: **Are you crazy? o.O

**Sasami: **Yuppers! :p  Flames are still critiques, just rude. I can still get a good idea about how my story is from them. 

**Nijuu: **Okay…

**Sasami:** Oh yes! New topic: I want to apologize ahead of time for the length of time between my updates. School starts up on Monday, and I have a full schedule with 4 college level classes, so I'm going to be very busy trying to keep my sanity.

**Nijuu:** Horrible Senior year schedule hikari…o.O

**Sasami: **I know…*^^ I swear I will do everything in my power to update often, but I cannot guarantee it. It will all come down to the amount of time I have to type and upload everything, since I write it all down when I don't have a computer available. Please keep reading though! I promise I won't forget to update!

Ja ne minna-san!


	6. Tangled

**Sasami: **We finally made it to chapter six. Magical yea! tee hee *^^

**Nijuu: **Not just a "yea," but a magical one at that. o.O

**Sasami: **Magical yea is a long story, e-mail me if you want to hear it all. *^^ Anyway, I'll stop my babbling and start the chapter. I promise there will be _NO LEMONS_…lots of fluff in this and coming chapters, but nothing too citrus-y.

**Nijuu: **We still don't own Yu-gi-oh. Do I even have to keep saying it at this point????

**Sasami: **That said here comes the warning. 

**Beware the ensuing shounen ai/ yaoi fluff!**: I am a sucker for fluff. What can I say? There will be some **fluffiness** here! No lemon/lime goodness though. Mmmmmm. And oh how I enjoyed writing the fluff. *^^

Today's song is _Tangled_, by the band **Maroon5 **off their 1st album Songs About Jane. Enjoy!

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Fears of the Stone 

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**Chapter Six: _Tangled_**

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**_I'M FULL OF REGRET_**

**_FOR ALL THE THINGS THAT I HAVE DONE AND SAID_**

**_AND I DON'T KNOW IF IT'LL EVER BE OK TO SHOW_**

**_MY FACE 'ROUND HERE_**

**_SOMETIMES I WONDER IF I DISAPPEAR_**

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**_WOULD YOU EVER TURN YOUR HEAD AND LOOK_**

**_SEE IF I'M GONE_**

**_CAUSE I FEAR_**

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**_THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO SAY TO YOU_**

**_THAT YOU WANNA HEAR_**

**_THAT YOU WANNA KNOW _**

**_I THINK I SHOULD GO_**

**_THE THINGS I'VE DONE ARE WAY TOO SHAMEFUL_**

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The pharaoh cast a final lingering look at his hikari before leaving the room. So it was done then. Yami would have to wait, for the sake of his hikari. He was becoming agitated by the length of time that was passing with no change in their relationship. Yuugi should have trusted him by now, and it was exasperating to have things not be as such. Yami turned down the music and changed the song before proceeding to put away the groceries.

Did he love his hikari? Yes. He had figured that out long enough ago, but the events of the morning had him feeling something new. He wanted more than just Yuugi's love and trust at this point. Ra, the boy was just so beautiful. Ivory skin and deep eyes, soft and yielding and vulnerable, and oh so graceful. He was tempting and completely unaware of it. 

Finishing the chore of the food, Yami settled himself on the couch and focused on the music floating through the house. His favorite song wafted through the speakers. Yami propped himself up against the edge of the couch, head supported on the back of his hand with one leg tucked loosely beneath his opposite thigh, and closed his eyes in silent meditation, urging his nerves to calm. His cool exterior betrayed no emotion and none of the wanton desire that coursed through his veins. Nothing. If only he could make his mind obey him as his body did.

Yuugi stood in silence staring at the door with tears still running down his face. It was strange how just one look could melt away all his doubts and fear and increase them a hundredfold in the same instant.

The young man turned and walked towards the window staring up into the brilliant late-morning sky, its vibrancy grating on his currently hyperaware senses. Wiping his eyes, Yuugi slid down against the wall, sitting in a patch of lazy sunlight trickling through the glass. The wall was warm despite the cool December air outside, calming to the distraught man who sought its comfort and support. Leaning his head back against the wall, Yuugi gazed at the clock on the wall opposite to him. 11:00. only 11:00. It suddenly felt as though the day would turn out to be far too long for anyone's own good.

So he sat there in silent contemplation of the morning's events. Basking in the sunlight, in an ironically relaxed state, Yuugi realized how complicated their relationship had abruptly become. Life had been normal until recently, save for the ancient pharaoh living in his mind. But now…now the spirit was quite tangible, and considerably more attractive in person. It was as much the allure of the pharaoh as his disposition that set Yuugi on edge. It was a slow decent into madness, terrible and haunting, and it thrilled him.

Yami was tall, well taller than his hikari at least, and slender with gently accentuated muscles and an air of unadulterated regality. Every movement dripped with superiority and something that commanded attention and respect. Or perhaps it was fear. His hair was wild and unruly, spiking in every unnatural direction possible. Ebony tresses slowly edged into scarlet at the tips and golden blonde shot through his deep toned hair and framed his handsome face. Sun-stained skin burned golden upon him and the pharaoh seemed to smolder perpetually beneath his skin. His eyes too burned with that unholy fire. Crimson like liquor in a crystal chalice melted into a violet hue when he gazed upon his delicate reflection, and hardened scarlet in passion at trespassers in their souls. 

Yuugi's ivory skin was flushed and his eyes were relatively swollen and raw owing to the influx of emotion that had only moments before ceased to surge through them. He sat, arms limp at his side and legs stretched out in the sun before him with his head drooped at an angle toward the gentle curve of his shoulder in fatigue. It had not always been such a strained relationship. Where had life gone wrong?

Yuugi closed his amethyst eyes, their hue dulled with emotions he could not work out, and listened to the now toned down music floating up through the floor from the room below. He had forgotten the music when Yami embraced him; the world always seemed to stop when he was around. It was as though life itself fed off the breath of the pharaoh. The song now playing was a favorite of his yami's. Loud and livid with a hint of underlying sorrow; Yami seemed to echo the emotion with his very existence. Yuugi had heard the voice of his yami ring so clearly and eloquently out that day, but never before or since. He sang like a being caught somewhere between heaven and hell, clear and crisp tainted with millennia's worth of pain and loneliness, with a sound nothing could ever posses here or after.

He had begun to doubt his sanity in that moment. Foolish. Falling in love again was foolish, and yet the simplicity of a song had confirmed it all. Perhaps the words he sang were not those of the actual song, or perhaps he never sang at all. Yuugi often doubted whether he had imagined it or not; in all reality, it was almost certainly not music that he heard, rather the sound of Yami's soul striking a chord with some untold truth. Nonetheless, it was beautiful. 

That was it. The foolish mistake of falling in love again had doomed their existence. Life had not wronged them, Yuugi had. _He_ alone had taken away any chance of happiness, of freedom, the chance for the life he so wished to blame.

It was love then, the root of his trouble and his undoing. Now, that he had come to a conclusion, Yuugi was unable to remedy the problem. There were too many variables, too many uncertainties in their relationship, so much he required before he could move forward. Clearly, another confrontation was essential to the end of all this madness. Accordingly, Yuugi rose slowly, dreading the chill in the room below. Turning to view the lucid blue of the winter's morning, he found that the deceptively clear sky hid clouds dark as night beyond the horizon. Sunlight would gradually melt into the haze of the storm, and only the hand of God himself could stop the ensuing destruction left in its wake. "Let loose the floodgates." Yuugi murmured sardonically as he left the room.

Sliding his fingers along the painfully white wall, Yuugi began his decent. Filled with apprehension and uneasiness, he pressed nearer to the blinding intensity of the hallway along the stairs. Closer to the reflection of the morning light, and farther from his demons hiding in the shadows. The shadows prowled around him, reaching at his steps from behind and darkening the path before him, all the while feeding the fiends of doubt and despair he harbored. And there, at the end of his journey stood the object of his fixation, the veritable source of the shadows.

"Yami." Yuugi spoke softly, hand still pressed lightly against the wall, more now for support than comfort. Across the room, at the foot of the stairs sat the pharaoh. It was staggering how such a simple act as sitting could emanate such an enticing picture as what was before Yuugi. Yami was sleek and feral and carnal and sex and darkness and danger and…so many words to explain him, and yet they were utterly insufficient. He was simply Yami.

//Hikari.// the pharaoh answered, opening a single crimson eye. He raised a regal eyebrow at his reflection. So the time at last had come. He sighed, closing his eye once more.

"Yami, I want to…no, I need to-" the younger man tried valiantly to begin, but found the words were no longer there. Pulling closer to the wall, Yuugi wished desperately to disappear from the awkward position he had walked into.

//Ask me what you will Hikari. I have never hidden anything from you that you desired to know.// Yami uncurled his leg from beneath him and settled into a more comfortable position. Opening both of his eyes to give his hikari undivided attention, Yami was not oblivious to the fact that he had all of Yuugi's. Yami had reached his breaking point when his hikari had called him so softly, and self control was out the window. A blush crept across Yuugi's face as he stared at his other. The older man had settled himself back against the plush cushioning, legs opened comfortably in his all too revealing black leather, hands ghosting dangerously close to things Yuugi thought best ignored. 

"Who are you?" Yami had expected Yuugi to question him for years, but this question was one he had not been prepared for. It seemed such a simple question, but it clearly was not. Taking a deep breath, Yami replied with the best answer he could procure on the spot.

"Yami."

"I know that much. I have heard and know all your names, Yami, pharaoh, Yugioh, mou hitori no boku*, but these are all just names. Who are you truly?"  Things needed to be assessed, and whatever Yami had been expecting was not what Yuugi would give him. 

//…I am all of those things. Perhaps I have misunderstood your question hikari.// the pharaoh was taken aback. Nothing in his mind seemed to click, and such a seemingly random question in combination with his desire for the apprehensive young man standing across the room was making coherent thought virtually impossible.

"Who are you supposed to be for me Yami?" And there it was, the blatant underscore of all the conflict from the morning and the days leading up to it. Yami understood the reasoning behind his hikari's question. It occurred to him that if he had not been so overwhelmed by the tension between them at that moment, Yuugi was probably letting loose emotions through their link. He was too blinded to tune in to them now.

Yami rose from the couch and sauntered over to where Yuugi stood, hips swinging in conscious seduction. All of this waiting and tension and apprehension were unbearable and quite tiresome to the pharaoh, and he was attempting to move beyond it in a way suitable for all involved. //Aibou.// he purred, //I do not know who I am to you, that is for _you_ alone to decide. Who you are to me though, that is a different matter. You _were_ my omote, you still _are _my hikari, and you are so much more.// Yami sidled closer to the man, hastily narrowing the gap between them.

"Why did you start calling me your 'aibou'?" Licking his dry lips and flushing a deeper red, Yuugi attempted to continue his questions. He was unsure of himself under this new sort of heated gaze from his yami. There was much left unresolved within himself to have all this pressure upon him; yet, he was drawn to the passion radiating from the spirit. 

//I call you aibou because that's what you are. My aibou.// Yami left no space between them, pinning Yuugi against the wall and leaning in to him. //Because you are the only one meant to hear such words.// Closer still. 

Resting his forehead against that of his hikari's Yami's lips brushed Yuugi's as the young man tried to keep sane thoughts. Soft and delicate and always hot. He was failing miserably. The pharaoh would sweep his lips slightly against his hikari's, letting them rest only long enough to leave Yuugi wanting more. Melting. Yuugi felt as though he were melting into his darkness, breathing him in short ragged gasps, and not being allowed enough to satisfy him. 

His salvation came with the ring of the phone. Pulling away from Yami with more effort than he thought humanly possible, Yuugi darted across the room to pick up the phone, answering it breathlessly. Yami growled at the interruption of what was turning into a potentially rewarding encounter. After some silence, Yuugi responded cheerfully to the caller.

"…of course I'll come. Yes, and Yami too…no I suppose you're right, it would be rude to leave him here….okay…see you soon Jii-chan." the phone clicked softly into its holder as Yuugi walked back past where was now leaning against the wall, looking rather irritated, and began to ascend the stairs before stopping to speak. Without turning to face his yami, he spoke, still quite breathless, heart beating hard against his ribcage. "Jii-chan found something on a dig he wants us to see. He just got back to Japan now and is on his way to pick us up." 

"Where are we going?" Yami sighed sullenly as he watched Yuugi continue to climb the stairs and head for the bedroom. It looked like they would both have to wait for what they wanted. Black storm clouds drifted into view of the window, dimming the dazzling sunlight. 

"Egypt." 

**_YOU'RE JUST AN INNOCENT_**

**_A HELPLESS VICTIM OF A SPIDER'S WEB_**

**_AND I'M AN INSECT_**

**_GOING AFTER ANYTHING THAT I CAN GET_**

**_SO YOU'D BETTER TURN YOUR HEAD AND RUN_**

**_AND DON'T LOOK BACK_**

**_CAUSE I FEAR_**

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**_THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO SAY_**

**_TO YOU_**

**_THAT YOU WANNA HEAR_**

**_THAT YOU WANNA KNOW_**

**_I THINK I SHOULD GO_**

**_THE THINGS I'VE DONE ARE WAY TOO SHAMEFUL_**

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**_AND I HAVE DONE YOU SO WRONG_**

**_TREATED YOU BAD_**

**_STRUNG YOU ALONG_**

**_OH SHAME ON MYSELF_**

**_I DON'T KNOW HOW I GOT SO TANGLED UP_**

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So there you have it. A long chapter too! I'm so proud! I know the Egypt thing is old and dead, but I swear this isn't going to turn into a 'let's learn about everyone's pasts' kind of fanfiction. This takes place _after_ Yami knows who he is…blah blah blah…please review as always! *^^

The next chapter should be out sooner than this one was. Promise. I know where it's going now.

*_mou hitori no boku_: one of those irritating little phrases that doesn't translate well between Japanese and English, but it means roughly _the other me_.


	7. Meant To Live

Hahahaha! Chapter seven by the end of the weekend as promised! Granted, I skipped out on some math homework, but I got it finished! 

//Yami to Yuugi//

/Yugi to Yami/

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Fears of the Stone 

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**Chapter Seven: _Meant To Live_**

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**Fumbling his confidence and wondering **

**why the world has passed him by. **

**Hoping that he's bent for more **

**than arguments and failed attempts to fly.**

**We were meant to live for so much more **

**Have we lost ourselves? **

**Somewhere we live inside.**

**Somewhere we live inside.**

**We were meant to live for so much more**

**Have we lost ourselves?**

**Somewhere we live inside. **

Yuugi hurried up the stairs and into the bedroom. Somewhere in the course of the events that had just transpired, the young man realized he had failed to finish getting dressed, and was doing just that when Yami joined him upstairs. Yami was considerably disappointed to see his hikari fully dressed, as his previous state of shirtless-ness had _not_ been lost on the pharaoh. It was also quite apparent that he was not going to be able to continue his newly found activities with his hikari, at least for the moment. Well, that certainly never stopped him from getting what he wanted before.

Draping one arm lightly around Yuugi's shoulders, Yami reached into the closet past him to pull out some of his own clothes for this seemingly arbitrary trip. //You would look much better in this aibou.// He suppressed a grin at the blush that spread across his hikari's face in light of the black leather shirt Yami pulled from the closet. It was more for himself than Yuugi, but it produced the desired reaction anyway. 

Patience had failed him. Honesty had failed him. Detachment had failed him. Finally though, it appeared that seduction was the only thing Yami had tried that was not failing him. It seemed a rash decision to act on his impulses towards Yuugi, but at this point Yami was willing to go to any length to gain the younger man's trust.

"You are going to keep calling me that no matter what I say aren't you Yami?" Yuugi sighed squirming out from under his yami's arm to find his suitcase. Shock did not begin to cover his reaction to all of this unforeseen attention, not that he had any problem with it. On the contrary, Yuugi was quite pleased with the turn of events. 

//Yes.// Yami continued to pull clothes out of the closet, leather mostly. It always helped to have the tendency to wear leather anyway if it was to be used to one's advantage later on. With his back to Yuugi, Yami did not bother to restrain his smirk. //Why is it exactly we are in such a hurry to leave?//

"We are in a hurry because Jii-chan is already on his way here." Yuugi caught the faintest hint of amusement trickling down their link. Something had changed. It was strange how much one could transform overnight, and Yami had done just that…transformed. The young man willed himself not to think about the kisses the pharaoh had stolen from him downstairs as he pulled a suitcase out from under the bed. That affection had been more than he was seeking from his yami. Not unwelcome, just unexpected. 

'That wasn't really a kiss anyway.' he tried to assure himself to no avail as he flushed a deeper shade of scarlet.

Setting the luggage atop the bed, Yuugi reached around behind Yami to grab the clothes that were strewn across the bed as well. Taking them in his arms, he dropped the pile unceremoniously into the suitcase and zipped it closed. Yuugi glanced at the clock as he quickened his pace towards the bathroom across the hall. However, Yami stopped his progress, grabbing his hand slyly and pulling him backwards, toppling the younger man off balance. Catching him deftly, Yami righted his hikari, taking the opportunity to make use of their close proximity. 

"Aibou." He whispered to Yuugi, making the hikari tremble involuntarily at Yami's heated breath against his ear. "You really ought to be more careful." Yuugi flushed a deep red once more, knowing his tumble was intentional. He was toying with him, and the pharaoh was far too good at his new game.

/Yami! I need to finish packing./ whined the hikari through their linked minds. Yielding to the piteous gripe of the young man, Yami let him continue his frantic packing, more than content to sit by and watch Yuugi, fluid and graceful even in his scrambling confusion. Just when Yuugi thought the intense focus of crimson eyes upon him would drive all sanity from his mind, a familiar voice floated down the hallway to him.

"Yuugi, are you up there?" Sugoroku poked his head into the bedroom where Yuugi had finished filling the suitcase. "I hope you're ready, the car's still running and we have a flight to make."

"Jii-chan!" Yuugi pulled his grandfather into a warm embrace. "I just finished packing." He was delighted to see Sugoroku again; it felt like years since the last time he was home. In all reality, it had only been two weeks since Sugoroku had left for Egypt for the new site dig, but between the nightmares and the tension building with Yami, it felt far longer than a mere two weeks. "Let's get out of here."

Yami, in the meantime, had joined the two at the bedroom door, suitcase in hand and a hint of fatigue suddenly etched across his sharp features that Yuugi was unaware of previously. //Why again are we going to Egypt? Don't you think we've had enough of the place?// the pharaoh sent his offhand questions down the link with slight exasperation. He decided that staying in one place for more than fifteen minutes at a time was necessary to finish his game, as it was progressing quite favorably. Besides, he was still quite exhausted from the lack of sleep of the previous night.

"Jii-chan, why again are we going to Egypt?" Yuugi echoed his yami's thoughts audibly as the trio made their way down the stairs once more. Yuugi couldn't help but notice the weariness in Yami's stance as they reached the bottom of the stairs. It was uncharacteristic of Yami to show such exhaustion in times of peace among quarreling spirits. A pang of concern was filtered to Yami as Yuugi attempted to hold a conversation with Sugoroku and his darkness. /Are you all right?/

//A bit tired if all truth be told aibou, but it's nothing to worry yourself over.// Yami took his hikari's hand furtively in his own, squeezing it reassuringly in response to the young man's incredulous glance. //Really aibou, I'm fine.// The spirit's crimson eyes flashed briefly with the emotion that, once again, Yuugi was unable to place. 

/You confuse me sometimes mou hitori no boku [1]./ Making it clear that their conversation was finished, Yuugi turned his full attention back to his grandfather who had just asked something along the lines of 'Are you listening Yuugi?' Sighing softly as Yami surrendered to the end of the conversation and dropped his hand, Yuugi tried to regain his place in the conversation with Sugoroku.

"Sorry Jii-chan, I was a bit distracted. What was it you said?" he turned apologetically to his grandfather as he opened the front door. He had been so distracted, in fact, that he could not recall walking through the house and into the game shop, but here they were. 

"I said that I was not going to tell you why we were going to Egypt. It's a surprise, and then I wanted to know if you were listening to me. Now, let's hear about what you have been up to since I left." Sugoroku smiled sympathetically at his grandson. The young man was clearly tired, as he and Yami could generally carry on a conversation without Yuugi being distracted from his surroundings. Yami, he noted, appeared to be worse off if that was at all possible. Sugoroku locked up the game shop as Yuugi and his yami headed toward the car. The shop was closed today anyway, a few extra days without a Mutou around to run it would not be the end of the world.

Yami climbed into the back seat of the car as Yuugi and Sugoroku settled themselves in front, chatting pleasantly about this and that and other trivialities Sugoroku wanted to hear about. 'Ra, he's such a child sometimes.' Yami sighed inwardly as he watched his hikari talk to Sugoroku. It seemed impossible for him to be so innocent and childlike at his age, eyes lit up like a kid at Christmas over something as simple as recalling the events of an uneventful two weeks.

Laying his head against the window, Yami found himself unable to stifle a yawn and his crimson eyes fluttered heavily with sleep. Sleep. He had not had enough lately and it was taking its toll. He had to protect Yuugi. Yuugi, who had called him _mou hitori no _boku. That was something new. The pharaoh's thoughts turned increasingly incoherent as he surrendered to the beckoning of sleep, head still resting gently against the window.

Yuugi felt the link dulling as his yami drifted off to sleep. Pulling down the mirror on the backside of the car visor, with the pretense of fixing his hair, he gazed at the sleeping pharaoh. "Beautiful…" he breathed almost inaudibly, heat rising to his face. The pharaoh's usually harsh expression had melted into a mask of tranquility. Lips parted. Slow steady breathing. Gold falling across sleep sealed eyes. Caught somewhere between longing and concern, Yuugi closed the mirror and visor back against the roof of the car; Yami was perceptive, and Yuugi feared he might awaken to the sensation of being stared at with such intensity. Twenty minutes would be unlikely to remedy his fatigue, but Yami needed it nonetheless. 

**Dreaming about providence and **

**whether mice and men have second tries. **

**Maybe we've been living with our eyes half open, **

**maybe we're bent and broken.**

Said twenty minutes passed by rather uneventfully, Yuugi telling Sugoroku every useless detail of his two weeks, and Yami sleeping rather contentedly in the back seat of the car. Contentedly that is, until Yuugi woke him. Carefully opening the back door, Yuugi shook his yami gently. /Yami. We're here. Yami, get up./ He mentally berated himself for not trying to wake his dark spirit sooner, knowing that he was difficult to wake unless danger was imminent. Eyes, the color of red wine, peered out at the young man from under half closed lids. 

"Nqdd…[2]" the pharaoh murmured as he closed his eyes once more, the sweet intoxication of sleep more commanding than his gentle hikari. Recognition of his weakness urged Yuugi to action. He leaned over into the car, sliding his arm around Yami's slender waist, and began pulling the unwilling spirit from his makeshift bed into the biting December air. A peal of thunder rather near to them rumbled through the air. //Hn…Let me sleep aibou.// The spirit grumbled still half asleep.

"Yami! We are going to miss our flight." Finally wrenching the groggy pharaoh from the car, Yuugi supported most of the taller man's weight to walk while Sugoroku removed the suitcase. "You are going to have to move faster if we want to make the plane in time."

//Who said _we_ wanted to make the flight. _I_ was perfectly content sleeping in the car.// Heat crept into Yuugi's cheeks again. Drowsily whispered words floated through the hikari's mind as Yami took on some of his own weight again, nuzzling Yuugi's neck affectionately. There was something comfortable in his touch, warm, promising, and intimate; there was nothing suggestive in it as before, only what seemed a commonplace warmth between the two. 

Sugoroku smiled sorrowfully as he turned to view the pair behind him. 'It would seem that my grandson has found something worth living for, but I pray Yami can protect Yuugi from himself.' He had missed much in the time he spent out of the country. His beloved grandson, the only family he had remaining, had grown up and moved on, reigning in Yami to fill the void that he could not satisfy. 

"Yuugi. Yami. Please hurry. If you dawdle any longer you will not find seats together." Sugoroku called over his shoulder. Yami disentangled the hikari's arm from around his waist, taking the young man's hand in his own once more without the intention of letting go. He quickened his lethargic stride at the warning of the old man.

Yuugi flushed a deeper shade of red, as he seemed predisposed to do when his yami was near, obliging the spirit's tender grip. 'Perhaps it is time I gave in to this emotion, this fear of mine. I need him more than I realized before.' His mind made up, Yuugi resituated his hand within the spirit's, intertwining their fingers and matching his pace. It was time for changes. Yami smiled to himself watching the young man out of the corner of his ruby eyes.

Rain had begun to fall as the storm reached the Domino City Airport, though not strong enough to delay the flight. As Sugoroku warned the three were unable to find spaces together despite their first class seating; fortunately, there were two empty seats at the back of the cabin in a row by themselves. A third chair had been present at one point but was no longer. Sugoroku found a window seat at the front of the plane leaving the men to themselves at the rear. 

Yami settled down in his seat laying his head on Yuugi's shoulder with the purpose of regaining his hold on sleep, or sleep's hold on him, when his hikari pushed through his clouded mind. The younger man tilted his head to rest on Yami's own, closing his eyes as he spoke to the spirit. /Yami, tell me what happened earlier, before Jii-chan called./

//That? That was a mistake aibou.// A sigh escaped Yami's lips as he responded to the man's request.

/Then perhaps why would be a better question./

//It happened because I am impatient. You are always so unsure of what _you_ want, so I did what I wanted for a change. _That_ was the mistake, and you were not prepared to deal with something like that so suddenly.// Ruby met amethyst as Yami turned to regard his lighter half. There was an inquiring look behind the swirl of mixed emotions. Yami rested his head back into Yuugi's shoulder, closing his eyes once more. Taking Yuugi's hand in his own, Yami placed it over his heart, pinning it there momentarily as he began again.

//Do you feel that? Do you know why it beats aibou? It beats for you; I live for you not because of you.// Yuugi's hand dropped as Yami released his grasp. There was silence between and within their minds as Yuugi contemplated the words. Yami felt nothing from his hikari, only the unnerving silence echoing through his mind; even the shadows were silent.

A sudden warmth against his chest brought his eyes open to face Yuugi again. To face himself again. /I'm scared Yami. I'm afraid that this is all a dream…that I will wake up suddenly and you will have disappeared. How could I possibly go on like that? Without you./

//I am going nowhere aibou, and this is no dream. I could never leave you alone.// Tears of glass spilled down the hikari's ivory skin, now flushed with fear and sentiments. Strong arms embraced him, and words of truth flooded his mind. Pulling away from the embrace, slender fingers traced the curve of his face, wiping away the tears that continued to fall silently down it. 

//Would you be terribly angry with me if I kissed you again?// Crimson and needy and desperate and sincere and his head was spinning with Yami's heated breath against his lips. Taking hold of the face of darkness in his inexperienced hands, Yuugi pressed his lips against the pharaoh's own.

/No. I don't think I would be./

**We were meant to live for so much more **

**Have we lost ourselves? **

**Somewhere we live inside.**

**Somewhere we live inside.**

**We were meant to live for so much more**

**Have we lost ourselves?**

**Somewhere we live inside.**

**We want more than this world's got to offer **

**We want more than the wars of out fathers **

**And everything inside screams for second life. **

**We were meant to live.**

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**Translations:**

[1] _mou hitori no boku_: the other me or my other self

[2] _nqdd_: sleep in ancient Egyptian

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Well, that's it for now! *^^ And it's longer than the last one too as promised! It would have been even longer, but I changed part of it around to make the story more interesting, But fear not! I have the next few chapters already worked out! Major plot progression in the next chapter. Promise this time. 

Thankies to all the reviewers! I am almost at 40 reviews for this story! *cries* Next chapter I'll be sure to thank all of you individually. Until then please review this new chappie! Mata ne!


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